UAB in the News

• In praise of postdocs: Celebrating National Postdoc Appreciation Week

  “The research enterprise can't survive without postdocs, so we want them to know that and how much we value them.”
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  A bioactive molecule may protect against congestive heart failure

  Scientists have shown that by giving mice a form of the fatty acid-derived bioactive molecule called lipoxin, improved heart function after a heart attack, as the lipoxin prompted early activation of the resolving phase of the immune response without altering the acute phase.
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  Future unwritten: Antarctic sea pens’ secrets to success

  Sea pens are colonial, meaning that many individuals work together as a whole, each conducting a specialized task necessary for survival.
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  Study shows vaccine confirmed to reduce and eradicate cervical cancer

  Dr. Warner Huh, professor and director in the gynecologic oncology division, said results indicated the vaccine has the capacity to eradicate the majority of cervical cancer cases and has long-term effectiveness.
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  Grandma gives granddaughter the gift of life

  This Alabama grandmother happened to be a perfect match and the miracle her granddaughter needed.
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  Vaccine to prevent most cervical cancers shows long-term effectiveness

  These new results strengthen the promise that vaccination with Gardasil 9 can reduce 90 percent of cervical cancers.
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  Tim Alexander’s UAB game-ball delivery one step on a long, inspiring journey

  A viral video introduced University of Alabama at Birmingham alumnus Tim Alexander to the world when the paralyzed former football player stood from his wheelchair to deliver the game ball in the Blazers’ return to action. What many people did not see was the hard work and determination Alexander showed for a decade to reach that moment.
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  High school band members to join UAB Marching Blazers for All-Star Band Day Sept. 16

  More than 200 students will participate in an All-Star Marching Band that will perform with the Marching Blazers during the UAB vs. Coastal Carolina University football halftime show, entertaining a crowd of thousands in Birmingham's Legion Field Stadium. Kickoff is at noon Central time.
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  Nine signs children may need an eye exam

  Complaining of headaches: When children overly strain their eyes to focus, this causes headaches over extended periods of time.
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  ProAssurance donates $1.5M to UAB School of Medicine

  ProAssurance says it is giving the money to establish the ProAssurance Endowed Chair for Physician Wellness, an academic chair that will support a research team that will address stress and pressure issues that doctors face.
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  Can design thinking redesign higher ed?

  The professors had come to Stanford to learn about design thinking, an approach to problem solving and innovation that has gained currency in the business world in recent decades, and has gained a foothold in higher education, too.
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  HPV vaccination rates lag for vulnerable population of childhood cancer survivors

  More than half of survivors who received recommendations were vaccinated, compared to 5 percent of survivors who received no recommendations.
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  15 ways high blood sugar affects your body

  When your blood is thicker and more viscous due to elevated blood sugar, your heart has to work harder to pump it, and it moves more slowly throughout your body to deliver nutrients to your cells.
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  HPV vaccination rates lag for vulnerable population of childhood cancer survivors

  Despite being at an increased risk for cancers associated with the human papillomavirus, the first comprehensive national survey found that HPV vaccination rates for childhood cancer survivors lag well behind the national average and that health care providers often fail to recommend the vaccine.
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  Why universities are phasing out luxury dorms

  Construction cranes became ubiquitous on campuses, and often the most high-profile projects involved student amenities — rock-climbing walls in recreation centers, swanky student unions with first-rate food services, and luxury “residence halls” with private bathrooms — usually financed by borrowing. Between 2001 and 2012, the amount of debt taken on by colleges rose 88 percent, to $307 billion.
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  UAB Hospital completes Whitaker Clinic renovation

  UAB Hospital, located in Birmingham, Ala., is opening the Whitaker Clinic, which was a $10.8 million renovation of the second and third floors of the John N. Whitaker Building.
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  Avoid the ‘freshman 15’ with UAB tips for healthy eating, new food attitude

  Anna Threadcraft, Employee Wellness director at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, says that living a healthy lifestyle on campus doesn’t have to be complicated. Taking care of your body and maintaining a healthy weight goes back to two principles: All food can fit in moderation, and move.
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  The case for a breakfast feast

  Many of us grab coffee and a quick bite in the morning and eat more as the day goes on, with a medium-size lunch and the largest meal of the day in the evening. But a growing body of research on weight and health suggests we may be doing it all backward.
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  High-resolution crystal structure reveals new pathway for RNA

  A paper describing the findings by a team of researchers at Penn State University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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  UAB receives $2.2M NIH grant to study teen driving

  With this grant from the NIH, researchers at UAB will be able to test the influence of age and driving experience on driving attention development.
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  Travel tips for contact lens wearers

  "Being prepared when traveling is key to eye safety," said Dr. Andrew Pucker, an associate professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry.
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  Innovate Birmingham details emerge during Birmingham Innovation Week

  “One of the things that led me to take the role were great leaders from the community like Alabama Power, Regions Bank, UAB, the Community Foundation and the BBA who stepped forward and said we want to take a hard view of technology-based economic development and really turn it into an economic development strategy that creates predictable, repeatable and sustainable results.”
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  New era in innovation begins with a pathway for success

  The new Commercialization Accelerator will be a key component of the university’s plan to attract innovators within the university, help them refine and develop their ideas and connect them to the city’s larger innovation ecosystem to grow and mature.
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  Crystal structure reveals new details of nonstandard RNA transcription

  By capturing the crystal structure of RNA polymerase during a nontraditional form of transcription -- reiterative transcription -- researchers have identified a new pathway used by RNA to exit an enzyme.
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  Small molecule inhibitor prevents or impedes tooth cavities in a preclinical model

  University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers have created a small molecule that prevents or impedes tooth cavities in a preclinical model.
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  New biomedical engineering grants aim at heart failure and resistant high blood pressure

  Biomedical engineering researchers will attack two banes of cardiovascular disease — heart failure after heart attacks and the scourge of resistant high blood pressure — with $4.8 million in National Institutes of Health grants that begin this fall.
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  2017 POWER & INFLUENCE 50: Alabama’s most powerful & influential business leaders

  Ray Hayes has served as Chancellor of the University of Alabama System for just under a year. He has quickly established himself as an able leader of one of the state’s most important economic engines.
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  Routine dental checkups offer opportunity to observe changes in patient’s health

  "The mouth is a mirror of the body," said Nico Geurs, DDS, University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Periodontology chair.
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  Alabama School of Fine Arts honors three of the area’s finest

  The school honored Alabama state Senator and majority leader, JT Waggoner; University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB’s) Professor of Music Director of Music Technology, Dr. Henry Panion III and actress and patron of the arts, Lisa Gaines who attended ASFA when its doors first opened in 1967.
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  13 signs that your relationship will last

  While no one knows for sure what the future may hold, there are quite a few clues that can tell you if your partnership is built to last.
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  FYI, there’s scientific reasoning behind why you feel sad in August

  TODAY reported that summer SAD may affect 1 percent of the total population. Beyond unplugging, Joshua Klapow, a clinical psychologist and associate professor in the School of Public Health at The University of Alabama at Birmingham, suggested people engage in a few activities they love with the people they adore.
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  The case for a breakfast feast

  Many of us grab coffee and a quick bite in the morning and eat more as the day goes on, with a medium-size lunch and the largest meal of the day in the evening. But a growing body of research on weight and health suggests we may be doing it all backward.
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  Arsenic trioxide consolidation effective in pediatric acute promyelocytic leukemia

  Arsenic trioxide (ATO) consolidation was effective and safe in newly diagnosed pediatric patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), allowing a significant reduction in cumulative anthracycline doses, according to investigators from the Children’s Oncology Group.
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  Crystal structure reveals details of nonstandard RNA transcription

  High-resolution crystal structure reveals a new pathway for RNA during a nontraditional form of transcription—the process by which RNA is produced from a DNA template.
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  UAB Music announces fall season of free recitals and concerts, gospel and choral performance

  The College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Music presents many free student, faculty and guest performances, the UAB Piano Series featuring Rachel Kudo on Sept. 24, and Chamber Music @ AEIVA on Nov. 2.
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  Birmingham takes notice of rare total solar eclipse

  The sun wasn’t blacked out and downtown Birmingham wasn’t plunged into complete darkness, but the 2017 solar eclipse has left a lasting impression on many in the Magic City.
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  In Alabama's Senate race, contenders fight over who is Trump's biggest fan

  "Trump would like to drain the swamp; Brooks would like to blow it up," said Larry Powell, a professor of communication at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "But their goals are the same."
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  Dr. Erba on the FDA approval of CPX-351 in AML

  Harry Erba, MD, PhD, professor of medicine, director, University of Alabama (UAB) Hematologic Malignancy Program, UAB School of Medicine, sheds light on the FDA approval of CPX-351 (Vyxeos) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
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  Study: Pot compound may affect other medications for epilepsy patients

  Cannabidiol (CBD) has shown promise as a potential anti-seizure compound in animal and human studies, the Alabama researchers said. They are testing it as a therapy for difficult-to-control epilepsy in 39 adults and 42 children.
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  Pot Compound Alters Levels of Seizure Drug in Epilepsy Patients

  Scientists experimenting with the marijuana compound cannabidiol as an epilepsy treatment must evaluate any interactions with other anti-seizure drugs patients are taking, researchers report.